As a former rider, one that's seriously considering getting back on a bike, safety is everything. When I saw that May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, I had to share my thoughts and info.

2017 was a record-setting in Colorado. One of those records you don't want to break. 125 motorcycle riders lost their lives in accidents last year.

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I've had a couple close calls but it was an injury to a fellow rider that ended my riding days. A group of us used to love riding the winding roads around Lake Of The Ozarks. If we weren't on the water, we were riding around the lake to the various watering holes and hangouts. The highways were all winding two-lane so we mostly rode single file. We called the guy up front "riding point." One late summer evening we rounded a corner only to see our guy "on point" lying in the ditch and his bike smashed up in the middle of the road. He slammed into the side of a pick-up truck. "I never saw him", the driver said. Our friend lived, but to this day walks with a limp. Two weeks later I sold my bike and haven't really been on one since.

May is motorcycle safety awareness month. For those in automobiles, Its goal is to encourage people to "look twice to save a life." For riders, it's a reminder to always wear your helmet. I get it that Colorado, like Kansas, it's not required but there's no better protection that a helmet. Remember too, to protect your legs and feet. There's a certain skillset to riding in flip-flops but let's face it, it's not going to do you much good should that foot make contact with the pavement. As they say "eyes wide open" and keep your head on a swivel. The Grand Junction Police Department say's it ok to ride with your high beams on during daylight hours. Anything to increase visibility.

The roads and scenery around Grand Junction have me daydreaming of getting back in the saddle. I've even done some shopping and been keeping an eye our for a good deal on a pre-owned bike. However, I won't get back on without taking a training course. Even veteran riders can benefit from the training. Find out more about the motorcycle training course available at Harley Davidson in Grand Junction. By clicking HERE.

Be safe, and happy riding.

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